A personal blog about quilting, sewing and life as a mother. Lots of free tutorials including beginning quilting tutorials, binding tutorials, and other sewing projects like bags, quilt blocks and nursing covers.

Glamor Makeover

I’ve had this china cabinent for a few years now. My parents bought it about 15 years ago and then my mom passed it on to me 6 or 7 years later when I was needing some storage for dishes as well as play-doh and Fisher-Price Little People in our little town house. It moved with us to our last home, providing much needed storage space in our little kitchen.

But it almost didn’t make the move with us this time because it’s not the finest craftsmanship and it’s pretty dated in forest green and with oak trim and oak knobs.

For the past few years I’ve wished it was a different color and even semi-contemplated doing something about it, – especially after being inspired by things done by the likes of Vanessa. But I felt too overwhelmed – it seemed like too much work to sand and prime something that’s really only made of compressed particle wood.

But then, my brilliant friend Natalie was telling me about painting all of her kitchen cabinets and that it really wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. So I told her about my ugly hutch and she suggested the new paint/primer combo stuff from Home Depot. Who knew! Suddenly I was reinvigorated. I went to HD and had a great time picking out color swatches to bring home. I finally went back and brought my cute little can of Behr Premium Plus Paint and Primer in One. Worth every penny. (Like around $14.00)

And voila!

I am so pleased with the outcome!! And pretty darn proud of myself for going for it. The project was SO much easier than I thought it would be. Partly because I didn’t do a perfectionist’s job. (I figured this is not going to be a family heirloom.) I didn’t even break out the sand paper. I cleaned it with TSP to remove a bit of the sheen and then started slopping on paint. Two coats and it was done. Then I replaced the oak knobs with nickel hardware. So pretty.

And I decided to go Martha and just go with a mostly-white color scheme for the dishes. I also decided to pull out a few pieces of my china for the first time ever. When I got married my grandma gave me her mother’s collection of Haviland china. It is such a treasure! The pattern is so beautiful, but I’ve kept all of it in the box that she handed it to me in 12 years ago, still wrapped in newspaper from 1982, mainly because I feared the damage we could do.

But I decided it was more fun to risk a couple of pieces and enjoy looking at it everyday. And it’s also nice that I have a place to tuck this cabinet out of the path of my little boys now, so I think (fingers crossed) it’s a little safer. The dishes are beautiful, but the family nostalgia makes them even better.

I wish I had more of these little guys. I found a set of 4 of these place-card-holders for $2.97 at the Pottery Barn in February – regularly priced $19.99. Maybe I’ll check again this February.

Now that I no longer fear tackling a project like this, I’m on the prowl for more.

LATER EDIT: The color used is Cacao from the Behr Premium Plus Collection.The knobs came in a bulk pack from Target.

And I take back saying I’m on the prowl for more – painting did take time away from sewing. What I should have said is: now I won’t fear painting furniture if the time should come in the future.

I am opposed to sanding on so many levels, so that paint/primer combo sounds perfect for someone like me. The color you chose and the knobs are FANTASTIC! <br /><br />BTW–I have four little ones (Age 10 to 3) and we actually use our china at least 3 times a yr. The wild and crazies are so calm and polite when we are using our &quot;nice&quot; dishes. They especially go ga-ga over the stemmed

Georgous!!! So did your friend do her kitchen without sanding? And are they standing up to everyday wear? I have a kitchen with a huge number of dated cabinets that would use a nice paint job. If all I had to do was paint – I may actually takle it.

I sew need a china hutch like this and have been scouring the Craigslist ads but I never thought about finding the right one size and detail wise and then painting it. Thanks for the idea. My hunt is now renewed.

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Copyright 2008-2013 Amy Smart/DiaryofaQuilter.com. All photos and content are my own unless otherwise noted. I love when people link to or pin my content, only please cite the original post. Please do not reproduce or publish copies of my patterns and tutorials. Contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you!